'Kill switches,' biometric devices — an inside look at how the Marlins' retractable roof works

Miami Marlins executive VP of events explains the thought process determining when to open and close Marlins Park's convertible roof.

Tucked away in a glass-enclosed booth within the Marlins’ fifth-floor command center, Mike McKeon has his finger on the “kill switch.”

It’s a sunny Miami afternoon as McKeon glances toward the roof from his perch high atop center field at Marlins Park.

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“I’m the eyes in the sky,” McKeon said.

McKeon, who has worked for the team for eight years, is one of the few people integrally involved in the everyday, yet key, task of operating the retractable roof of Miami’s $515 million dollar stadium.

Constructed in 2012, it is one of six Major League Baseball stadiums which can host both outdoor and indoor games — joining Arizona, Houston, Milwaukee, Seattle and Toronto.

So how does it all work?

The typical day starts at 7 a.m. with Claude Delorme, the Marlins executive vice president of operations and events. Delorme — who spent 23 years with the Montreal Expos before joining the Marlins in 2004 — will begin by roaming the field, checking to make sure everything is in order before getting his first weather report at 10 a.m.

Marlins official Mike McKeon operates the team's retractable roof from the stadium's command center. McKeon must keep his finger on the biometric sensor for the entirety of the 13-minute process for the roof to close. (Wells Dusenbury / Sun Sentinel)

He’l look at many things, including heat index, humidity, weather and wind when determining whether to leave the roof open or to close it for night games. Led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, the team’s new ownership group has placed a premium on playing in open conditions.

After having 50 open-roof games in the previous five seasons combined, the Marlins have already hosted 20 this year.

“Conditions here are unique,” Delorme said. “We’ll get cells in this market when you least expect it. All the sudden things change and it starts to rain and that’s kind of unique. When you’re in [Los Angeles] or California, you don’t get a lot of rain and usually you can anticipate it better. South Florida — it’s a tricky trade.”

“People still talk to me about that one,” Delorme said with a wry laugh.

After gathering another weather report from vice president of facilities Jeff King, they make the final decision about whether to close the roof around 3 p.m. for a typical 7:10 p.m. game. Once it’s decided, the team moves quickly, since it takes roughly three hours for the temperature to normalize once the roof is closed.

At that point, King will radio up to the command center — which hosts police, security and fire rescue personnel during the game — to commence roof closure.

Monitoring three separate screens, McKeon hones in on the computer displaying a digital view of the stadium and clicks on the “full roof” button to initiate the process.

Similar to a cinematic launch sequence, he then places his finger on a biometric device — which must be held down for the entirety of the 13- to 15-minute process. If he lifts his hand from the “kill switch,” the three moving stadium panels will come to halt.

“It’s not the most physically demanding job,” said McKeon, who is no relation to former Marlins manager Jack McKeon. “Sometimes if I do have a scratch or have something else I’m doing, I’ll try and switch fingers. I’ll slide one on and one off and you can hear [the roof start to screech].”

The biometric device does not use a fingerprint, but it does need to be an actual finger that holds down the button — not a metal clamp or a stick.

Given South Florida’s volatile weather, the button must be manned at all times throughout the day. Delorme said the Marlins had to close the roof in the middle of a game this season due to a potential incoming rain cell.

After games they open the roof — sometimes for post-game fireworks — and leave it open for the night, before beginning the process again the next day.